§ Q7. Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Prime Minister when he proposes to appoint a further Minister to the Scottish Office.
§ The Prime MinisterI announced the appointment of my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Queen's Park (Mr. McElhone) as an Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office on 12th September.
§ Mr. TaylorIs the Prime Minister aware that in spite of that the Secretary of State for Scotland is fast losing the confidence of the people of Scotland? Is he aware, too, that when in opposition the Secretary of State claimed that when Scottish unemployment reached 100,000 the honourable course for a Scottish Secretary was to resign? Does he know that the right hon. Gentleman is now supervising an economy where 120,000 are unemployed and where the figure is rising at the rate of over 1,000 per week? In these circumstances, will he explain why the Secretary of State, in a full day's debate on Tuesday, was unable to give us any idea how much cash would be available to the much-publicised Scottish Development Agency in its first year?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Member made exactly the same point about my right hon. Friend a year ago, after which there was a General Election in which the Tories were decimated.
§ Mr. PardoeNot by you.
§ The Prime MinisterWe held our numbers extremely well. The Scots were looking for a decent Opposition, just as the people south of the border are today. Unemployment is serious, and it has been very fully debated in this House. The hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Taylor) knows the consequences for many countries of the world recession and of the oil price rise. He will also know that at no time since statistics began to be collected has the ratio between unemployment in Scotland and that south of the boarder been so low as it is today.
§ Mr. GrimondMay we have an assurance that when the Government produce their White Paper on the future of Scottish government it will deal with the position of the Scottish Secretary and other Ministers, and with the Civil Service which serves them?
§ The Prime MinisterYes, it will.
§ Mr. ReidBefore considering the introduction of a further Scots Minister, will the Prime Minister study reports in The Times today and The Scotsman yesterday, which confirm widespread fears in Scotland that the Assembly Bill will be subject to delay and prevarication? In view of the Government's clear commitment to the people of Scotland that they will have a meaningful Assembly, will he take this opportunity to confirm that the Government intend to press ahead with the introduction of the Bill forthwith, after publication of the White Paper?
§ The Prime MinisterI can assure the hon. Member that these matters will be fully dealt with in the White Paper. There is no ministerial responsibility for what may appear in the newspapers north or south of the border. At the moment, I am more concerned with seeing whether there is any means of saving a very good Scottish paper which is in danger of extinction.